Talk:Unitology
Can I point out that near the bottom of Belief section, it say's that Unitologist's perform sacrifises. Where is this mentioned? Cause I've never heard of any sacrifises. They've brainwashed and tortured people, yes, but I haven't heard of any sacrifises. :Well, Mercer did sacrificed Jacob Temple after torturing him in Dead Space...- 5əb'7aŋk(7alk) 13:51, January 9, 2010 (UTC) Would we really call Mercer's actions a referance for Unitology, I mean, there wern't any other mentions of sacrifices before the infection. I just don't think it should be called a sacrifistal cult. Anyway, good work everyone. Keep on dismembering! Tazio1 00:32, January 10, 2010 (UTC)Well, he did so in the name of Unitology, so in my opinion, it is a reference to Unitology.- 5əb'7aŋk(7alk) 02:07, January 10, 2010 (UTC) Unitology and Dead Space 2 Interesting... :Did anyone see the Unitology interactive comic on the DS2 site? Didn't know Unitology was into that whole propoganda thing. Seems kind of...ethically wrong. DisMEMBAH (talk)(blog) 18:33, June 17, 2010 (UTC) ::In the future, learn to resize the image to a smaller scale... >.> - 5əb'7aŋk(7alk) 20:25, June 17, 2010 (UTC) :: You are correct sir, shoulda done that first. Good call tanky. DisMEMBAH (talk)(blog) 21:57, June 18, 2010 (UTC) Incorporation of Martyr and Salvage This article needs to be completely overhauled in order to make room for extensive incorporation of relevant information from DS Martyr and the upcoming novel, Salvage. --LBCCCP 17:43, November 12, 2010 (UTC) :Whoever has the novel should do it... unfortunately, no luck getting it here in the Midlands, UK... >.> - 5əb'7aŋk(7alk) 22:48, November 12, 2010 (UTC) No worries; I'm getting it next week so after I blow through it in a couple days I'll get to it. --LBCCCP 00:49, November 14, 2010 (UTC) Insights into Unitology in Dead Space 2? I don't generally put much stock into reading too much into things, but I've noticed a few things in Dead Space 2 that may constitute insights. Firstly, in the residential block, which is seemingly all Unitologists, every door has a display screen that shows the main room in that apartment. Some of these are broken/deactivated, but many of them are turned on and working. I severely doubt it's "normal" station policy to have the screen turned on at all times, since it would be a complete breach of personal liberties and privacy - perhaps this is a Unitologist belief or social standard of a sort? Something in the vein of, individual privacy being considered a taboo, as it defies the concept of all becoming one? ::I never noticed that. I assumed those panels were like a cross between peepholes and the intercoms at apartment buildings. I will have to take a look. Did the normal residential areas have those same panels? --Unclekulikov 21:29, February 24, 2011 (UTC) I also noticed, in one particular apartment, what appears to be slides from a wedding. Whether it's propoganda, or a record of an actual event, I can't tell - but has anyone else noticed the girl in the slides looks AWFULLY young to be getting married? Nearly two feet shorter than the groom. It seems to be a paradigm hinting Unitology was also influenced by Mormonism, besides Scientology, in the form of encouraging, or simply permitting, underage marriage. ::I noticed that too. It could be a wedding, or it could be a coming of age ceremony similar to the Quincinera. The apartment where you find the projector has two beds for children, so perhaps it's an arranged marriage similar to ones in the middle eastern world. --Unclekulikov 21:29, February 24, 2011 (UTC) There is also a particularly interesting piece of graffiti repeated numerous times in the residential area. It speaks of how the people of the church mark those in their lives to become part of the church, and that they "can have relationships with those not yet under the church" (it also ends by stating "we are not of this world"). However, the particular line "not yet under the church" caught my eye specifically. For any normal religion, this would be an innocent enough statement, but in Unitology, this seems more significant. "We can have relationships with those not yet under the church", I don't think this is speaking of being part of the church, I think the person is speaking of people who literally aren't under the church yet - in the cryo tubes beneath the church. ::It's good policy to allow your members to have relationships with more than dead people, otherwise the church wouldn't do so well in recruiting. But I like that you noticed this.--Unclekulikov 21:29, February 24, 2011 (UTC) There is also something to be said for those cryo tubes. While it has been long established Unitologists preserve the bodies of the deceased (and why they do so, both ficticiously and in truth), Isaac's hallucination in the cryo chambers seems to be braced a little further on by a text log. The text log describes a cryogenic malfunction, resulting in the loss of some bodies, and how the author suspects the Government being responsible - did anyone else notice the pictures used in that log, show the bodies looking exactly as Isaac hallucinated them? Is this perhaps a subtle hint that the bodies in the tubes are already, perhaps intentionally, infected? ::I will have to take a look again. I assumed that the cryo tubes contained infected people, since the Church goes so far to hermetically seal and freeze them, bacteria would be one of the things they didn't want getting in to decompose the flesh. At some point, they must have allowed the necromorph material into the casings, and when power got knocked out, they started thawing and changing as a "natural" occurrence. That would also explain why only some of the tubes erupted in necromorphs, while others remained static.--Unclekulikov 21:29, February 24, 2011 (UTC) On a slightly off-topic note, does anyone else find it odd Isaac didn't realize Daina was a unitologist until they were face to face? In all the video messages she sends, you can see she's in the office you pass through on your way to meet her (specifically, you can see its distinctive book cases behind her). One would think Isaac would have noticed he was standing in the room those transmissions were sent from when he gets there, but I suppose the more dramatic manner it was handled was better anyway. It just seems a little silly, on reflection. ::Yeah, I thought that to myself. I didn't notice the bookshelves, but I noticed that she was embedded at the highest, most difficult to reach place in the whole church, and being in the church in the first place is a foreshadowing event.--Unclekulikov 21:29, February 24, 2011 (UTC) One final point. Did anyone else notice the continuity error on the Ishimura? The Ishimura was recovered and being studied/repaired by the Government, but the medical deck is covered in 'new' Unitologist graffiti, when no Unitologists are aboard it. Iudicium 02:33, February 3, 2011 (UTC) ::I thought the graffiti was left from the first event, and that they hadn't cleaned that deck yet like the others were, due to the lack of plastic and tape, and the blacklights for recording the data.--Unclekulikov 21:29, February 24, 2011 (UTC) :::That is indeed NEW graffity left by cleanup crew. 21:35, February 24, 2011 (UTC) Clean-Up Okay, this article needs a clean-up in regards to the bits on Convergence. Note that we have no definite answers about what Convergence really is, so please remove all speculation in this article in regards to Convergence (especially that Convergence = Becoming a Necromorph). --Haegemonia(talk) 21:17, February 24, 2011 (UTC) Bodies "converging" into larger creatures/bosses In Unitologist belief, Convergence is described as something like "all life intertwining at the end". This is explained quite conclusively in various Unitology materials encountered in the Unitology sector of Dead Space 2. They believe the Marker is an icon of convergence as well as an instrument: the two spikes intertwining represent how all "life" intertwines in the "end", to create a new beginning. Interpret this literally, and we see necromorphs merging into larger entities and bosses/Hive Minds If you read Martyr, the message from the Marker was pretty conclusive that convergence and unity (from where we get "Unitology") as well as ascension all mean the same thing: the scripturalised account of the physical merging of corpses into entities like brutes, bosses etc. Altman postulated that the end of the necromorph process is a single entity made from all the dead flesh: the Hive Mind. I found this conclusion on convergence adequate Spoilers in the intro? The last para of the intro has spoilers relevant to Dead Space Martyr. When the same information is repeated further in the article, a spoiler warning is given first. Put a spoiler warning in the intro, or delete spoilers from the intro. 17:11, February 3, 2013 (UTC) Proposed additions The truth about Unitology's intended purpose Black Marker as Unitology's "founder" In Martyr, the Unitologists are not so much founded by any man as by the Black Marker and the psychoactive effects from it, as there was immediately a group of witnesses who simulataneously all started to believe the artifact was divine without being told to believe this by anyone. They were originally called "believers" until some of them adopted the name Unitology ''(possibly coined by Field, a colleague of Altman who first addressed him as a prophet, much to the latter's distaste). Their minds were filled with jumbled information warning about the necromorph reanimation process and they misinterpreted it as a promise of eternal life. Unitology began immediately on the marine installation at Chicxulub where the Black Marker was being studied, and was made up from the irrational instincts of some workers about the Marker. Their Original Reaction to the Necromorphs However the Unitologists behave in later ''Dead Space events, their fledgling movement did not ever originally express any conscious favour towards necromorphs or want to become necromorphs, as they had ample opportunities to spread an infection in the aftermath of the initial Chicxulub outbreak but instead chose not to do so. Power of the Marker They did, however, firmly believe that the creatures' existence was evidence of the power of the marker and meant that markers had the potential to allow immortality. The real behind-the-curtain patron of Unitology, a cynical government lackey named Markoff, held an indiosynchratic morbid belief in the necromorphs as evidence that the Marker "created life". However, never wished to become one and he did not wish to spread their infection: his real object of obsession is the Marker. He describes the Black Marker as "broken", hence the need for a replica that will work properly. Describing the Marker as broken acknowledges that necromorophs are not the preferred outcome in Unitology's original view, but also that the intended outcome is actually just the product of fantasy: its unattainability would push Unitologists to take refuge in the infection as the actual confirmation of their beliefs. Spread the Convergence The above does not mean that Unitology hasn't since convinced itself that the necromorphs are in fact favourable and the evidence of their belief in transformation and eternal life. Unitology often appears to be, but did not actually originate as a malevolent conspiracy to turn humanity into necromorphs. The Church's goal of actively spreading the infection is the result of a chain of four misconstruations: (1) the original accidental misconstruation of the Black Marker's psychic warnings against convergence as a call for convergence, (2) the deliberate misconstruation of Altman's claims and notes on the Black Marker to support the above, (3) the misconstruation of the already misconstrued Altman notes again as the Church scripturalised the Altman image and message to gain efficacy, and (4) the amplified repetition of misconstruation 1, caused by any new Marker the Unitologists meet up with, resulting in fanatical dedication to spread the infection. Unitology as a social comment by the Dead Space writers Creative Director Wright Bagwell says Unitology is based on a negative aspect of humanity explored in a social commentary by Carl Sagan. In my view, Unitology is a warning against the various entities making up so-called scientific but also dumbed down and blissful answers which are ultimately intended only to induce delusional hope in idiots (Scientology? Zeitgeist Movement?): “What I find really interesting is a book by Carl Sagan called ‘The Demon-Haunted World.’ It’s a great book and just a commentary on how there’s this pattern of behavior over history where there used to be a lot of superstitious and illogical thinking. And then, as science took hold and modern thinking took hold, there was a lot less superstitious thinking. But now that people are not able to understand everything around them again, technology has gotten to the point where it’s like magic to some people, and they’re overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge and information that’s out there. It’s gotten people thinking illogically and superstitiously again. That’s the commentary we’re making. In this complex, futuristic world, people are looking for ways to simplify their lives and put their faith in something that they don’t have to think too much about.”''http://gamerant.com/dead-space-2-director-no-link-unitology-scientology-seb-64702/ Unitology also inspired by Unificationism? I've always thought that the name of Unitology was taken from two famous cults the Unification Church and the '''Church of Scientology'. The entry on them details the Scientology references but none on the Unificationism. It could be a coicidence since union is a common word and fitting for the religion, but when I got to the end of Dead Space 3 and discovered that the supreme forms of the Necromorphs are called Bretheren Moons, I thought this couldn't be merely a coincidence considering the Moon family has led the worldwide Unification movement since it's founding and the derogatory term for practitioners of the religion are "Moonies." The Youth Counselor (talk) 09:19, February 22, 2013 (UTC) relieving points? A sentance in the article reads "However, the Unitologists have a number of relieving points:" any idea what it is supposed to say? That was a little confusing, Mr. Anonymous. I worded it more simply insofar as I undestood its intent. This article is nearly perfect; it's so beautiful and organised. One of the nicest I've seen on any wiki. Superb. --LBCCCP 03:43, November 1, 2011 (UTC) References Heaven's Gate Almost all Unitology's ideas, not just the appearance and initials (M. A.) of their leader, seem to be taken directly from the Heaven's Gate cult, who committed suicide because they thought it would help aliens take them to Heaven. http://heavensgate.com/ Their website is preserved exactly as it looked at the time of their mass suicide. Pay close attention to their words "... the "marker" we've been waiting for". Heaven's Gate says the Earth will be recycled by aliens in an apocalyptic event, and calls on followers to commit suicide to prepare for it. The neatly placed corpses on beds with a purple cloth on them is also directly based on footage of the Heaven's Gate suicide cult's bodies. The bright iconography and sci-fi themes also strongly resemble what we've seen of Unitology.